describing graphs exercises for ielts - british council

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Lesson downloads > IELTS Academic Module preparation > Writing > Lesson 4

Introduction

In the previous IELTS lesson we took a first look at describing charts something you may be asked to do in Part 1 of the IELTS writing. You learned what to look for when you first ‘read’ a chart and how to tell the difference between dynamic and static charts. In this lesson we’ll be taking a closer look at useful language for describing dynamic charts.

So far in these IELTS lessons we have looked at three kinds of composition you may be asked to write for Task 2 of the test. These are:

§ describe causes of a problem and offer solutions § present arguments in favour of and against an idea § express your opinion on a controversial issue

In this lesson we’ll look in more detail about how to analyse a question and how to present your point of view clearly and effectively.

In this lesson you will…

§ Practise reading and getting information from dynamic charts. § Learn structures and expressions for describing increase and decrease. § Practise using prepositions when describing numbers and dates. § Learn how to use a mind map to generate ideas for Task 2. § Practise supporting your opinions with reasons and examples. § Learn useful words and expressions for supporting your opinions. § Learn how topic sentences help to organise your writing

IELTS WRITING TASK 1: MORE ABOUT CHARTS

Activity 1 > Understanding dynamic charts > 10 minutes

a) The chart below is incomplete. In a moment, you’ re going to read a description of the chart and complete it. Before you do this, though, take a good look at the chart and answer the questions.

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UK Unemployment rates (16+ year olds): May 2003 July 2006

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

5.2

5.4

5.6

5.8

May03

Jul03

Sep03

Nov03

Jan04

Mar04

May04

Jul04

Sep04

Nov04

Jan05

Mar05

May05

Jul05

Sep05

Nov05

Jan06

Mar06

May06

Jul06

Rate %

Source: National Statistics website: www.statistics.gov.uk http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nscl.asp?id=6682 Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO http://www.statistics.gov.uk/copyright.asp

1 What kind of chart is this? a) A pie chart b) A line graph c) A proportional bar chart

2 What does the chart show? a) The percentage of the workforce over 16 who were unemployed b) The percentage of the workforce over 16 who are unemployed c) The number of people over 16 who were unemployed

3 What are the units shown in the vertical axis (going up)? a) hundreds b) thousands c) percentages

4 What period does the chart cover? a) Just over 3 years b) Almost 3 years c) Just over 2 years

5 What was the unemployment rate at the beginning of the period? a) 5 per cent b) 5.1 per cent c) 5.2 per cent

b) Now read the description of the chart and draw the missing section of the line graph.

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The line graph shows figures for unemployment in the UK workforce between May 2003 and July 2006. It is clear from the chart that the rate of unemployment fluctuated a great deal during this time. At the beginning of the period, unemployment stood at 5.1 per cent. A few months later the figure had risen slightly to 5.2 per cent. Unemployment then remained stable until September 2003. From this point on there was a steady downward trend and by January 2004 the rate had fallen to 4.9 per cent. It stayed at this level until May the same year, but from May to July there was another small drop of 1 per cent. There were no further changes in the level of unemployment until March the following year. From March to May 2005, there was a small increase of 1 per cent, but this did not last long and the figure had fallen back to 4.8 per cent by July. From September 2005 onwards, however, there was a marked upward trend in the rate of unemployment in the UK. From September 2005 to November the same year, the figure shot up from 4.8 to 5.2 per cent. The rate remained stable for a few months, but then rose sharply again, and had reached a peak of 5.7 per cent by July 2006.

c) The highlighted words in the description of the chart that you’ve just read are useful phrases for describing increases and decreases. Read the report again and find phrases from the text which mean…

went up and down frequently did not change (2 phrases)

went up a little went up very quickly (2 phrases) arrived at its highest point went up noticeably over a period

went down (2 phrases) went down gradually over a period

Activity 2 > Describing increase and decrease (1) > 5 minutes

a) In the last task you learned some useful phrases for describing increases and decreases. There are also two useful sentence structures for doing this:

1 [noun phrase] + [verb] + [adverb]

For example: The unemployment rate rose rapidly The cost of living fell dramatically

2 [There is/are] + [noun phrase]

For example: There was a rise in unemployment There has been an increase in the cost of living

Finish each sentence below so that it means the same as the one given.

1 The price of oil rose sharply. There…

2 There is a noticeable increase in temperature from May onwards. Temperature…

3 The number of people attending the theatre has fallen dramatically. There….

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4 There had been a steady rise in DVD sales for the first six months of the year. DVD sales…

5 There has been a rapid growth in the use of alternative energy sources. The use of alternative energy sources…

6 The popularity of self catering holidays decreased significantly during the 1990s There…

Activity 3 > Describing increase and decrease (2) > 5 minutes

You can also describe increases and decreases by using fractions to show the size of the change over a certain period. For example:

The cost of rents doubled in less than a year. Birth rates have halved since the turn of the century. By July, the price of petrol had fallen by a third. The number of school leavers going on to university has risen by a quarter since 1980.

a) The chart below compares monthly sales for two months from a fruit wholesaler. Check the title, the key and the axes so that you understand the chart.

Fruit sales (kilos)

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

oranges apples lemons bananas plums apricots pineapples

kg

July November

b) Now write sentences about the changes in fruit sales from July to November. Use the words from the box.

a quarter a third doubled fell by halved rose by tripled

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Orange sales doubled. (example)

Apple sales fell by a quarter.

Lemon sales…

Bananas sales…

Plums sales…

Apricot sales…

Pineapple sales…

Activity 4 > Making approximations > 5 minutes

The chart in the previous activity had very convenient numbers. However, in real life things aren’t quite so easy! The chart in the IELTS test is not likely to show figures that rise and fall by exact fractions, such as a half or a third.

What you need to do is make approximations. For example, if real sales figures for oranges rose from 4000 kilos to 7850 kilos, you can say that orange sales almost doubled.

a) Here are some useful words and phrases for making approximations Match phrases with the same meaning

1 just over a around

2 approximately b nearly

3 just under c slightly more than

b)Now write sentences about the chart below, which shows changes in the quantities of imports of certain electronic goods. Again, use the words in the boxes.

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Imports of electronic goods

3

2.1

6.2

4

6.2 5.8

1.7

8.5

5.2

2.8

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

DVD players CD players Televisions Radios Video recorders

millions of units 2000 2006

a quarter a third doubled fell by halved rose by tripled

just over approximately just under around nearly slightly more than

1 (DVD players) 2 (CD players) 3 (Televisions) 4 (Radios) 5 (Video recorders)

Activity 5 > Prepositions of time > 5 minutes

In the last IELTS lesson you learned how important verb tenses are when describing dynamic charts and tables. Correct use of prepositions is also important. Here are some of the main prepositions you will need to use:

in [month / year / morning, afternoon etc] at [9 o’clock, 10.30 am etc] from..[a point in time]..to… [another point] between…[a point in time]..and… [another point] during [a period of time] before [a point in time or a period of time] after [a point in time or a period of time] by [a point of time arrived at] until [a point of time reached] since [from a point in the past until now]

a) Go back to the description of the chart in activity 1b and underline examples of the prepositions of time listed above.

b) Now complete each of these sentences with the correct preposition.

1 ……… January there was a noticeable rise in the number of people taking sick leave from work.

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2 Temperatures usually reach a peak ……… about 1 o’clock in the afternoon. 3 From 1997 ……… 2006 there was a steady increase in sales of organic produce. 4 ……… the recession, unemployment grew steadily. 5 Televisions audience viewing figures rise dramatically……… 6 o’clock in the evening. 6 ……… June sales figures were low, but later they began to increase rapidly. 7 The price of oil had shot up to $70 per barrel ……… August. 8 From November ……… the end of the year energy consumption continued to rise. 9 There has been a marked decrease in road accidents ……… the new laws were introduced in 2005.

Activity 6 > Preposition to describe increase and decrease > 10 minutes

You will also need to be careful when using prepositions with numbers. Simply changing the preposition can change the whole meaning of a sentence. For example, what’s the difference between these two sentences?

1) Newspaper circulation rose by 20,000 newspapers per month. 2) Newspaper circulation rose to 20,000 newspapers per month.

Sentence 1 describes the size of the increase. Perhaps newspaper circulation was already 40,000 per month, and there has been a 20,000 per month increase. The final figure will be 60,000 per month.

Sentence 2 shows the point reached. Perhaps newspaper circulation had been 15,000 per month and it then rose by another 5,000 to reach 20,000 per month.

Remember also that not all words for describing rise and fall will take a preposition, and the preposition will depend on whether you’re using the word as a verb or a noun. See the table below for more details:

Verbs that take a preposition

Verbs that don’t take a preposition

Nouns that take a preposition

rise to/by increase to/by fall to/by drop to/by shoot up to/by plunge to/by stay at remain at fluctuate between/around

reach a rise of an increase of a fall of a decrease of

Now look at the chart and complete the report below with a suitable preposition where needed.

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Crude oil prices: US dollars per barrel

10

20

30

40

50

60

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Iran Iraq war

Invasion of Kuwait

Second Gulf crisis Iranian revolution

Arab oil embargo

Source for chart: OECD Factbook 2006 ISBN 9264035613 © OECD 2006 http://stats.oecd.org/WBOS/default.aspx?DatasetCode=CSP6

The chart shows fluctuations in the price of crude oil over a thirty five year period, and clearly

illustrates how oil prices are affected by world events.

In general there has been an upward trend in the price of crude oil [1]…….. 1970, when it was only

$1.30 per barrel. The oil embargo of the early 1970s, however, caused the price to rise sharply [2]…….. nearly $11 per barrel. The crisis ended soon afterwards, but the price remained [3]……..

around $11 to $13 per barrel until 1979. The Iranian revolution of that year had a huge impact on oil

prices, which shot up [4]…….. $17 to reach [5]…….. about $30 per barrel in the same year.

The following IranIraq war caused a further increase, and the price reached [6]…….. a peak

[7]…….. nearly $36 in 1980. From that point until 1985, the price fell steadily. However, from 1985 to

1986 the price suddenly plunged [8]…….. $13. For the next few years the price fluctuated [9]……..

$14, but with the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 there was a sudden rise [10]…….. $5. The price quickly

fell again and remained stable for most of the 1990s.

Things changed once again at the end of the decade, and from 1999 to 2000 the price increased

[11]…….. almost $10 per barrel. Despite a slight drop in 2000, the rise continued and by the end of

the period, the price of crude oil had shot up [12]…….. a peak of $50 per barrel.

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IELTS WRITING TASK 2: USING A MIND MAP

Activity 7 > Getting started using a ‘mind map’ > 15 minutes

Getting started with your composition can be the worst part. Sometimes it can be difficult to think of ideas, but there are things you can do to help. One technique is to draw a mind map.

A mind map is simply a way of generating ideas about a topic by looking at it from different angles. Each ‘angle’ is a heading in the mind map. You should keep the headings as general as possible because this will help generate more ideas. For example, you can look at almost any question from one of these angles:

personal, economic, political, educational, scientific, psychological etc.

Let’s look at an example. Here’s a typical IELTS task 2 writing task:

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no special knowledge of the following topic.

Levels of depression and antisocial behaviour in children have increased dramatically in modern societies. This situation has led many people to believe that childhood itself is in crisis. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Below is a mind map for the question you’ve just read. There are five very general headings, each one representing a different way to look at the question of childhood in crisis.

a) Try to think of two ideas of your own to note down under each heading.

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b) Here are some ideas we thought of. Now complete the mind map by putting each of these ideas under the best heading.

Children spending more time alone Computer games often promote violence Dangers of the Internet Disappearance of traditional home routines such as family mealtimes Exposure to sex and violence on TV at an early age Less clear views in society about suitable behaviour for children and adults Less structured days at home e.g. no fixed bedtime Long working hours interfere with family life Marketing of products and ‘image’ creates consumers from children More and more testing and exams at schools More competitive society adds to pressure to succeed Too much time taken up by ‘lonely’ activities such as computers and TV Parents often absent or disinterested Peer pressure from friends and classmates Poor discipline in school disrupts routines and patterns Pressure from parents to succeed and achieve

Activity 8 > Stating and supporting your point of view (1) > 5 minutes

The IELTS writing task 2 question often ends with the words ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view?’ You don’t have to agree with the statement, but it is important that you express an opinion of your own. Whether you disagree or agree, you should give good reasons why. Examiners want you to:

• state your opinion • clarify what you mean • give reasons for your views • give examples when appropriate • emphasise important points

a) Here are some useful words and phrases for doing these things. Put them under the correct headings.

A typical example is, Clearly, For example, For instance, From my point of view, I am convinced that, In fact, In my opinion, In other words, Indeed, It is my belief that, Needless to say, Obviously, such as, That is to say that…, The reasons for this are, This is because, This is due to , This is on account of, What I mean by this is

Stating your opinion

Clarifying what you mean

Giving reasons for your views

Giving examples

Emphasising important points

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Activity 9 > Stating and supporting your point of view (2) > 5 minutes

Every time you state an opinion, it’s important that you follow this up with your reasons or examples. Below are opinions which could be expressed in answer to the question about childhood. Match the opinions (15) with the supporting sentences (AE).

1 School has become a source of anxiety more than a source of learning. 2 Today’s children lead a much more ‘lonely’ life style than previous generations. 3 There has been a gradual breakdown of the bonds between children and their parents. 4 Children need the security of routine, but this is often lacking in today’s families. 5 The frequency of unsupervised access to television and the Internet is also having an effect on the psychological state of many modern children.

A For instance, they would much rather play computer games alone than play in the park with friends. B In other words, children are being allowed to view programmes and internet sites that are totally unsuitable for their age. As a result, their understanding of the world is often misbalanced or confused. C This is due to the fact that school pupils face more and more tests and exams each year. D One of the many reasons for this is that parents simply spend less time with their children. E In some families, for example, there are no set meal times and children may be not be going to bed before 11.00pm

Activity 10 > Writing Task (1) > 10 minutes

Now it’s your turn to write.

a) Make a plan for your own answer to the question you read in Activity 7. You can use the ideas in the mind map from earlier, or your own ideas. Remember that you don’t need to use all the ideas.

b) Write your answer. You need to write at least 250 words. Try to use some of the expressions from Activity 8 and remember to follow up all your opinions with reasons or examples.

Activity 11 > Topic sentences > 10 minutes

A good writer makes things easy for the reader and you need to make things easy for the examiner. One way you can do this is to use topic sentences. Topic sentences introduce the theme of a paragraph. They are like sign posts in your composition and they tell the reader that you are moving on to a new theme.

a) Read the sample answer and match the topic sentences with the correct paragraphs [A,B,C].

Another area of concern is the pressure to succeed. There is also what I would call the pressure to grow up or mature too early. The first is the pressure to conform.

Crisis is a strong word to describe a situation. Although I would not go so far as to say that childhood is in crisis, I would certainly agree that modern children are under more pressure from more directions than ever before. But what are these pressures and what problems do they cause? [1….] there are three main areas of concern.

[A……..] [2….], children are under pressure to be like each other and to be like the role models that they see in the media. ‘Pop’ and ‘rock’ culture has become so much a part of children’s lives that it is now the defining characteristic of the 1018 year old age group. [3….] are purely economic. The pop music and fashion industries are worth a fortune, and they benefit from the most easily persuaded

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consumers: children. The result, however, is that children as young as ten feel like outcasts among their peers unless they buy the latest CDs and clothes. [4….], not being able to conform with the group can lead to conflict with parents and even depression.

[B……..] [5….] is that school children are being tested on their learning much more frequently. Furthermore, most children these days are expected to take exams for university entrance. Constant testing makes children anxious about school. Likewise, children who are not suited to academic study feel inadequate when they take exams and then fail. [6….], instead of helping children’s minds grow, the education system has become the cause of many mental health problems in the young today.

[C……..] [7….] many modern children are being forced to behave like adults before they are ready. [8….], many children now have to look after themselves at home because their parents are staying ever longer hours at work. More worrying, though, is the effect of unsupervised television viewing and internet surfing. Children are expected to have the judgement to decide what is suitable for them. [9….], they do not have such judgement. As a result, young children are often exposed to material that can frighten, worry and confuse.

To sum up, although [10….] childhood is in crisis, there have recently been worrying changes in the way children grow up. If these trends continue, there may indeed be a crisis.

b) Now look back at the mind map for this question from Activity 7. Tick the ideas that were used in the final composition.

c) Now use the words and expressions below to complete the sample answer.

For instance I believe In fact In other words Indeed it is not my belief that Needless to say The reasons for this This is to say that What I mean by this

Lesson Review

In this lesson you have:

§ Practised reading and getting information from dynamic charts. § Learned structures and expressions for describing increase and decrease. § Practised using prepositions when describing numbers and dates § Learned how to use a mind map to generate ideas for Task 2. § Practised supporting your opinions with reasons and examples. § Learned useful words and expressions for supporting your opinions. § Learned how topic sentences help to organise your writing

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Lesson 4 > Answer key

Activity 1 a) 1b 2a Notice that the use of the past tense ‘were’. 3c the chart does not show actually numbers 4a 5b

b)Your complete chart should look something like this:

UK Unemployment rates (16+ year olds): May 2003 July 2006

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

5.2

5.4

5.6

5.8

May03

Jul03

Sep03

Nov03

Jan04

Mar04

May04

Jul04

Sep04

Nov04

Jan05

Mar05

May05

Jul05

Sep05

Nov05

Jan06

Mar06

May06

Jul06

Rate %

c) went up and down a lot: fluctuated a great deal did not change (2 phrases): remained stable, stayed at this level

went up a little: there was a small increase went up very quickly (2 phrases): the figure shot up, rose sharply arrived at its highest point: reached a peak went up noticeably over a period: there was a marked upward trend

went down (2 phrases): had fallen to, there was another small drop went down gradually over a period: there was a steady downward trend

Activity 2 1 There was a sharp rise in the price of oil. 2 Temperature increases noticeably from May onwards. 3 There has been a dramatic fall in the number of people attending the theatre. 4 DVD sales had risen steadily for the first six months of the year. 5 The use of alternative energy sources has grown rapidly. 6 There was a significant decrease in the popularity of self catering holidays during the 1990s.

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Activity 3 b)Apple sales fell by a quarter. Lemon sales rose by a third. Banana sales fell by a third. Plum sales halved. Apricot sales tripled. Pineapple sales rose by a quarter.

Activity 4 a) 1c2a 3b

b)1 Imports of DVD players nearly/almost/approximately doubled 2 Imports of CD players fell by just under/approximately/nearly a quarter 3 The number of televisions imported rose by just over/slightly more than a third. 4 The number of imported radios rose by slightly more than/just over a quarter. 5 Imports of video recorders approximately halved.

Activity 5 a) The line graph shows figures for unemployment in the UK workforce between May 2003 and July 2006. It is clear from the chart that the rate of unemployment fluctuated a great deal during this time. At the beginning of the period, unemployment stood at 5.1 per cent. A few months later the figure had risen slightly to 5.2 per cent. Unemployment then remained stable until September 2003. From this point on there was a steady downward trend and by January 2004 the rate had fallen to 4.9 per cent. It stayed at this level until May the same year, but from May to July there was another small drop of 1 per cent. There were no further changes in the level of unemployment until March the following year. From March to May 2005, there was a small increase of 1 per cent, but this did not last long and the figure had fallen back to 4.8 per cent by July. From September 2005 onwards, however, there was a marked upward trend in the rate of unemployment in the UK. From September 2005 to November the same year, the figure shot up from 4.8 to 5.2 per cent. The rate remained stable for a few months, but then rose sharply again, and had reached a peak of 5.7 per cent by July 2006.

b)1 In / During 2 at 3 to / until 4 During 5 after / from 6 Before / Until / In 7 by 8 until / to 9 since (notice the use of present perfect in the main verb)

Activity 6

1 since 2 to 3 at

4 by 5 6

7 of 8 to 9 around

10 of 11 by 12 to

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Activity 7

b)

Activity 8 a) Stating your opinion In my opinion From my point of view

It is my belief that I am convinced that

Clarifying what you mean In other words That is to say that…

What I mean by this is that

Giving reasons for your views This is because The reasons for this are

This is due to This is on account of

Giving examples For instance For example

A typical example is such as

Emphasising important points Clearly Obviously Needless to say

Indeed In fact

Activity 9 1 School has become a source of anxiety more than a source of learning. C This is due to the fact that school pupils face more and more tests and exams each year.

2 Today’s children lead a much more sedentary life style than previous generations.

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A For instance, they would much rather play computer games than play in the park.

3 There has been a gradual breakdown of the bonds between children and their parents. D One of the many reasons for this is that parents simply spend less time with their children.

4 Children need the security of routine, but this is often lacking in today’s families. E In some families, for example, there are no set meal times and children may be not be going to bed before 11.00pm

5 The frequency of unsupervised access to television and the Internet is also having an effect on the psychological state of many modern children. B In other words, children are being allowed to view programmes and internet sites that are totally unsuitable for their age. As a result, their understanding of the world is often misbalanced or confused.

Activity 11

a) A The first is the pressure to conform. B Another area of concern is the pressure to succeed. C There is also what I would call the pressure to grow up or mature too early.

b)1 I believe 2 In other words 3 The reasons for this 4 Indeed 5 What I mean by this 6 In fact 7 This is to say that 8 For instance 9 Needless to say 10 it is not my belief that

describing graphs exercises for ielts - british council

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